On Monday (August 14), it was reported by the state news agency (TAP) that a migrant boat bound for Europe sank off the Tunisian coast, resulting in the tragic loss of five lives and leaving seven others missing. Media outlets stated that over 20 migrants were successfully rescued.
In the city of Sfax, Tunisian coastguard units managed to recover the bodies of five migrants and save 23 individuals. Unfortunately, seven others remain unaccounted for after a vessel carrying mainly Tunisians, alongside sub-Saharan Africans, went down near Sidi Mansour in Sfax, as TAP reported.
The court spokesman Faouzi Masmoudi, also located in Sfax, informed AFP that the ill-fated boat had 35 people on board, mostly Tunisians, including women and children. The tragic incident claimed the lives of at least one child and two women, according to the judicial representative.
According to a Tunisian official quoted by AFP, the boat sank “less than an hour after departure.” An ongoing investigation has been initiated into this recent shipwreck, while search operations continue.
This incident comes in the midst of a surge in central Mediterranean migrant crossings from North Africa to Europe, a route renowned as the world’s deadliest by the United Nations.
The Tunisian coastguard revealed that on Saturday (August 12), another boat sinking resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including an eight-month-old infant. The vessel was carrying 20 Tunisians and submerged approximately 120 meters off Gabes, shortly after 2:00 am local time.
Mouhamed Borhen Chamtouri, a coast guard commander in Sfax, previously informed AFP that the force had apprehended around 3,000 migrants in the span of just 10 days this month. Among them, 90 percent hailed from other African regions. The recent upswing has been attributed to favorable weather conditions in May and June.
Sfax, positioned about 130 kilometers from Italy’s Lampedusa island, has emerged as a crucial departure point for migrant boats destined for Europe.
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